Working During the Snow Season

Tooheys

Helllloooooooo!

I've decided to have a gap year from university and I am keen on working in either Canada or Japan for a couple of months. Can anyone give me some tips or advice? Does Japan or Canada have better snow? Should I go through an agency where they can secure my job prior to leaving for the destination, help me get the visa, sort out my accommodation while I'm over there etc....or should I just book a plane ticket to the destination and just wing it and try to find a job when I get there? If you've done this before, please give me as much details as you can!


Thank youuuuuuu!

[dot]

I'd imagine you're better off looking for a job in Canada, with the Japanese economical and political situation being what it is.
The cultural exchange in a country where you're unlikely to find work, find friends, learn the language before it's time to go home seems pointless.
With "better snow" I assume you mean you want to do winter sports, if so there are many, many more (and cheaper) countries to choose from.

I'll wait for someone else to explain the rest - paying a company to find me a job in a country, paying for accommodation and them getting me a visa strikes me as extremely foreign.
Why not work where you live and take a vacation like everyone else?
Relying on so many uncertainties seems careless.

seafrog

I have to agree with Dot. Unless you are fluent in Japanese, and know at least ONE person there who could give you an in with a company there, don't go to Japan. Things are a lot more strict there in terms of paperwork and the whole process of being able to work.

Canada is a better option- since you seem to be interested in winter sports, have you considered working at a resort/station? Having mechanic/electrical skills would be a big boost, and any prior experience as well.

Dot makes another good point- there are a lot of cheaper options if you just want some work over the winter season, but also want to take a a week trip to do some hardcore shredding If you live in the USA, I would HIGHLY recommend a week or more in any of Utah's or Colorado's resorts. You will have to fork over a good sum of money for lift tickets, but if you're smart you can save a lot of money on accommodations (check out couchsurfer.org).

If you REALLY want to work somewhere foreign, that has great snow, and that wont be too hard to travel to, I recommend South America (Chile, Argentina, west coast). As a rule, they are fairly easy to travel to, and there isn't as much emphasis placed on documentation of work. Again, being fluent in Spanish would be a requirement.

Hope this helps